I'm sure you know there are more than 7 things you need for your craft show, but these are the 7 basic things you absolutely need to put on your list:
1. Business Cards
Even if you set up an empty table with absolutely nothing on it I can guarantee you would still hand out business cards.
Business cards….
- make you look professional
- give potential customers a way to contact you in the future
- help grow your social media (thereby growing your business)
- create an opportunity to turn buyers into REPEAT buyers and LOYAL customers.
This is something that MUST be factored into your budget!! My go to is Vista Print; you can get 100 business cards for less than $20 CDN.
2. Cash Float
You NEED to have change on hand.
Even in the digital age, people still carry cash. Not having change makes you look unprepared and unprofessional. I don’t typically bring a lot: $10 in loonies and toonies (for my fellow Canadians), $30 in fives, $30 in tens, and one $20. (I don’t price my items with cents)
**If you’re doing a farmers market in a small town (especially with a lot of seniors), prepare to do mainly cash exchanges.**
3. Debit/Credit Reader
Even though you need a cash float, most people don’t pay with cash anymore. Cash only also limits their buying power.
You don’t NEED debit, but it is an added bonus that buyers appreciate and will increase sales. Some venues have an ATM on site, but an item is NOT sold until it is PAID for. If your customer leaves to get cash there is no guarantee they are coming back.
Every step you take to make it EASIER for a customer to purchase brings you closer to a sale.
If you’re on a budget, or hesitant to put forth the cash for this, at the very least you need a credit reader. For a simple set up, look into Square. They will send you their little credit reader for free that plugs into your phone. It takes the swipe method only. The only thing you need to pay for is the fees/transaction which are less than 3% (This transaction fee is standard with any company you choose)
*If you have a new phone that has no headphone jack, you'll need to pick up an adapter that connects to the charge port
**It is important to note that because it is swipe only, you are liable for any fraudulent transactions that may occur. This means if someone uses a stolen credit card in your machine, and the cardholder makes a payment dispute, the funds you received will be removed from your account and put back on the card.**
I currently use Moneris. It’s a little pin pad machine that accepts credit and debit for about $20 per month (not including credit card fees which are the same as Square). The Square reader upgrade is also very popular, but I didn’t choose it because you can only use tap for debit.
4. Custom Order Form
If you accept custom orders, this form is 100% necessary! It looks much more professional than writing on a scrap of paper or the back of a business card.
Click here for Custom Order Forms
5. Inventory Tracking
Track your sales! Even if you have an incredible memory, you will want to look back a year from now and see what your best sellers were. Tracking inventory helps you plan for future craft shows and stay organized. You can do this on Square if you take the time to enter all of your inventory OR you can do it manually with inventory sheets found here. (The best way to achieve this is by checking out this bundle *available in floral or mountain themes)
6. Retail Bags
Retail bags increase the value of your product. You don't want to put someone's beautiful handmade item in an old grocery bag. Check out Amazon for supplies.
**TIP: The dollar store is NOT the cheapest resource for Kraft bags, it's probably the most expensive option.
7. Battery Bank
OH NO!! There are 2 hours left in the show and your phone battery is at 15% !!!
The last thing you want is for your phone to die in the middle of a credit card transaction and cause many missed sales!
Most booths DO NOT have power unless requested and comes at an extra cost. Bring a charged up battery bank to save you from this pitfall!
These are 7 essential items I know FOR SURE! If you have some to add, please feel free to comment on this post!
If you have any questions at all I am here to help!! Shoot me an email or connect with me on the 'gram @the_introvert_maker
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